"It's the toughest draw Novak Djokovic could face in the opening round" - Alex Corretja on Serb's ATP Finals clash vs Holger Rune
Alex Corretja has expressed his belief that Novak Djokovic is up against his "toughest draw" at the 2023 ATP Finals as he takes on Holger Rune in his tournament opener.
Defending champion Djokovic is set to kick off his quest for a record seventh ATP Finals title, having equaled Roger Federer's tally of six titles with his triumph last year. The Serb headlines the Green Group at the event, featuring Jannik Sinner, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Rune.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion will commence his campaign on Sunday, November 11, facing the Dane in a rematch of their Paris Masters quarterfinal. Djokovic narrowly edged past Rune 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-4 at the ATP Masters 1000 event, leveling their head-to-head record at 2-2.
In an interview with Eurosport, Alex Corretja asserted that the World No. 1 faced a formidable challenge in his tournament opener due to Rune's strong belief in his ability to defeat the Serb.
"I think it's the toughest draw that Novak could face in the opening round, playing against Holger. Because the way they know each other, Holger feels that he can beat Novak," he said.
While Corretja acknowledged Djokovic's expertise in handling such challenges, he also emphasized the increased difficulty of facing an opponent who has previously defeated him.
"At the same time, definitely Novak knows better than anyone else how to deal with those moments. He likes the challenges, he likes those tight matches. But it's not that easy because maybe the first day in a regular tournament, you have the feeling that you are playing maybe a top 40 or top 50 guy. [But] you're going to play someone who has beaten you," he added.
"We are seeing the best version of Novak Djokovic overall" - Alex Corretja
Alex Corretja also expressed his belief that Novak Djokovic is currently showcasing his best level in terms of overall performance.
"I think we are seeing probably the best version of Novak Djokovic overall. Of course, maybe he's a little bit different than five to ten years ago. But overall, I think we've seen probably the best performance of Novak in the whole history,"
Additionally, the Spaniard highlighted the 24-time Grand Slam champion's maturity, particularly in dealing with hostile crowds.
"I think mentally he found a balance that he is dealing very well with all the situations. He's even enjoying when the crowd is against him because he doesn't care anymore. He's like, 'you're going against me, you don't know who you play against'. And I think this is something that shows maturity," he added.
The Serb has the opportunity to clinch his record-extending eighth-year-end No. 1 finish at the ATP Finals. A single victory in the group stage is all he needs to achieve this feat. Should he do so, he will become the first player in history to spend 400 weeks at the top spot of the ATP rankings.